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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Jenn Bennett: Romance in the Roaring Twenties


I write the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series for Pocket. My third book recently came out, and the fourth releases next year. Like everything I write, Arcadia is a little bit different, a little off the beaten path. Though Arcadia's subject matter and settings sometimes veer towards dark and gritty, my heroes are good-humored and hopeful. It also features a strong romantic subplot between the two leads, so I don’t think it’ll be a surprise to anyone that I’m crossing the genre pond into full-blown Romancelandia.

On January 7th, the first book in my new Roaring Twenties series from Berkley Sensation goes on sale, and though the series shares a similar tone and wit to my urban fantasy, this time, the subject matter is flat-out sexy, swoon-laden romance. The new books take place—you guessed it!—in the 1920s, when prohibition and the emergence of a new modern ideal transformed the booming, foggy city of San Francisco.

In the first book, BITTER SPIRITS, my hero is a bootlegger—a handsome, scarred brick wall of a Swedish immigrant, who’s painstakingly built a small fortune running booze through the Golden Gate in his father’s fishing boats. My heroine is a fearless, independent spirit medium who performs a public séance act in a local speakeasy. When my hero becomes inexplicably hexed and haunted, he seeks out the spirit medium’s help. And with this light paranormal mystery pulling them together, the pair navigates the city from Chinatown to Pacific Heights, trying—and failing miserably—not to fall in love.

For readers who already like my voice, I hope they’ll make the jump into the 1920s with me. And for new readers who might be in the mood for a unique, sexy romance that’s not the same old paint-by-numbers historical, I hope they’ll give BITTER SPIRITS a shot.

Can you recommend any other unusual historical romances set in different time periods/countries or centered on a H/h who aren’t titled British landowners?

Learn more about my books on my website: http://www.jennbennett.net/books
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jenn_benn

3 comments:

Connie said...

What a clever plot. I’m sure it will be a very popular read. Thanks for sharing.

Mary Preston said...

A sensational period in history.

Pat Cochran said...

Interesting story!

Pat C.